Urgent Help: Wire for dedicated lines???


Hi,
The electrician just came to my house this morning and he said that running Romex wire in a conduit is against the code. So, what's wire should I use? Do you know any better wire than Romex that can run in the conduit?
Thanks
Tran
worldcup86

Showing 4 responses by bob_bundus

There are numerous upgrade wires available for dedicated lines which I've read about (try to find those archive threads; Kimber is one definite source) but I used #10 solid copper THHN. Mike VansEvers gave me this idea which has worked so well that I'm just amazed.
You make up a bundle of black white & green conductors, all aligned with the printing running in the same direction. Fasten the ends of the bundle with electrical tape, clamp one end in a vice & put the other end in your variable speed 3/8" drill chuck. Slowly spin the bundle to wind it up like a spring; when you release power it will uncoil considerably. Then exchange ends & finish the twist. This twisted configuration is similar to the way many upgrade AC cords are made, it cancels stray magnetic fields outside the conductors. Lay the bundle in across the floor & connect it temporarily, then listen for awhile to test & determine which direction sounds better than the other direction. When you install in conduit or Greenfield, then burnish the exposed wire ends nice & shiny with crocus cloth (or an ink eraser in a pinch)& clean them thoroughly with Kontact, etc. Also shine up & Kontact clean the male prongs of your AC cords. Use a high grade outlet; FIM etc. Also consider isolated grounding. Your electrician won't understand any of this "audio nonsense" & will probably try to tell you that it makes no difference, but believe me it absolutely does. If you can get him to install a small fusebox & use a ceramic fuse (vs. glass) that will sound better than any circuit breaker. The newer plastic fuses seem to be OK too. He'll say you're insane but hey you're the paying customer so get it done the way that YOU want it done. Also polish & clean the fuse itself & any elecrical contacting surfaces in the distribution box.

Long ago I posted several times on this question, but the forum archives appear to be truncated as I can't locate them anymore. Shame that it is lost as there was a lot of good info in those old posts, & not just mine either.
30A wire capacity to 20A outlet is fine if the conductors will fit the outlet screws. I didn't go any larger than #10awg because any larger is a bear to work with (& won't fit into the outlet anyway). Wiring code advises against 2nd seperate ground rod (something about potential ground currents causing damage if you receive a direct lightning hit) but many people do run it separately anyway with good results. Others advise to make a connection from the isolated ground rod back to the original rod (to eliminate the lightning potential scenario) however I don't know if that affects / degrades the isolated grounding advantages; I suspect that it might not be a problem. I would think that the two rods being in close proximity would reduce the hazard potential, if in fact that is actually a real world concern? It sounds like you might actually have an enlightened electrical guy there - his idea sounds reasonable to me anyway.
No there are not two grounds; the ground wire is simply twisted in the same spiral along with the hot & neutral conductors; all three conductors are contained in the same twist. That's the way that Mike VansEvers told me to do this; I didn't question or ask all about his reasoning, as he only mentioned this as an aside during a conversation regarding his AC cord products.
Not everyone with a dedicated line uses AC line conditioning, expecially when sourcing a power amp. Ask Mike VansEvers if you must understand the physics - I trust him unquestionably & certainly won't be arguing so help yourself. Whatever the electromagnetic phenomenon, this is what he recommends for a quieter dedicated AC line & for connection into a line conditioner. It works too. If you don't want to do this then don't, it's your loss, but don't go posting misinformation that this is ineffective just because you don't understand.
There are many things that we do but don't completely understand all of the reasons why; there's really no need to. Another example: it's no problem driving an automobile even if you don't understand everything that's going on under the hood.